In 2004, a peculiar seriestook a portion of the anime world by storm. Investigative stories can be compelling on their own, butParanoia Agentbrought something extra to the genre thatstill gives fans chills.The series was released at a time when anime wasn’t nearly as popular as it is today, though, which means that it flew off the radar of many potential fans. In a couple of months, however, this will be corrected — MVM announced that the series is getting a gorgeous steelbookBlu-ray edition, barely a year after its 20th anniversary. The special edition hits shelves on August 11.
Paranoia Agentcenters around a series of violent crimes that start taking place in Musashino, Tokyo. In the incidents, people are attacked with a bat, and the attacker gets around the city on inline skates. The problem is,the only suspect is a little boywho, in theory, shouldn’t be able to overpower full-grown adults. So what is going on? Police detectives are assigned to figure out the case and, more importantly, why the victims were selected.
To say thatParanoia Agentis a must-watchis an understatement. The anime series hails from the mind ofSatoshi Kon, the Japanese filmmaker responsible forbringing several masterpieces into the world, including the animated moviesPerfect Blue,Millennium Actress, andPaprika. Kon also helmedTokyo Godfathers, which is considered one of thebest anime films ever made. On Rotten Tomatoes,Paranoia Agentboasts a perfect100% score, which only underscores its quality.
Who Is the Team Behind ‘Paranoia Agent’?
Paranoia Agentwas written bySeishi Minakami, a prolific anime series creator who penned the screenplays of titles likeBeyblade,Bakuman,Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, andSacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts. Due to its short run — it’s only 13 episodes long —Paranoia Agentisthe kind of easy bingethat stays with you long after you’ve watched it.
The studio that broughtParanoia Agentto life isMadhouse, Inc., which later became famous for several other high-profile titles likeVampire Hunter D: Bloodlust,Trigun(which isgetting a sequel series soon),Parasyte: The Maxim, the first season ofOne-Punch Man, and three of the biggest anime titles in the world —Death Note,Hunter x Hunter,and surprise hitFrieren: Beyond Journey’s End.Paranoia Agentwas just one example of the studio heads' knack for detecting top-quality stories.
TheParanoia AgentBlu-ray steelbook hits shelves on August 11. You can already preorder itat the Anime On-Line website.
Paranoia Agent
